1. Field of the Invention
The present invention discloses new antimicrobial compositions to control plant diseases and to prevent microbial spoilage of crops.
2. Description of Related Art
It is estimated that about 25% of the world crop production is lost due to microbial spoilage, of which spoilage by fungi is by far the most important cause. Not only from an economical point of view, but also from a humane point of view it is of great importance to prevent spoilage of food products. After all, in many parts of the world people suffer from hunger.
Success in combating plant and crop diseases and in reducing the damage they cause to yields and quality depends greatly on the timely application of fungicides. The prolonged and frequent use of many fungicides such as e.g. benzamidazoles has contributed to reduce their effectiveness thanks to the development of phenomena of resistance.
Over the past forty years new classes of fungicides have been developed and marketed. One of those classes is the class of phenylpyrroles.
Phenylpyrrole fungicides have not been immune to challenges in their development and maintenance. A large concern has been resistance development. Resistance to phenylpyrrole fungicides has been observed on several diseases now (see Iacomi-Vasilescu et al., 2004; Kanetis et al., 2006; Kinay et al., 2007).
For many decades, the polyene macrolide antimycotic natamycin has been used to prevent fungal growth on food products such as cheeses and sausages. This natural preservative, which is produced by fermentation using Streptomyces natalensis, is widely used throughout the world as a food preservative and has a long history of safe use in the food industry. It is very effective against all known food spoilage fungi. Although natamycin has been applied for many years in e.g. the cheese industry, up to now development of resistant fungal species has never been observed.
Consequently, it can be concluded that there is a severe need for more effective antimicrobial compositions, e.g. antifungal compositions, for the treatment of fungal growth in and on plants and crops.